M4.7 earthquake 117 km NNE of Calama, Chile
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 117 km NNE of Calama, Chile on Tue, Jan 23, 1979, 9:00 PM GMT-3 (00:00 UTC), 121 km (75 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 173 km ESE of Iquique, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.7 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-01-24 00:00:08 UTC
- Depth
- 121.0 km (75.2 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 21.427° S, 68.651° W
- Region
- Chile
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Stations used
- 11
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.7 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.364 km NE of Calama, Chile · 17417 days ago · 87 km deep · 70 km away
- 5.5173 km ESE of Iquique, Chile · 17401 days ago · 77 km deep · 64 km away
- 4.8132 km N of Calama, Chile · 17389 days ago · 121 km deep · 38 km away
- 4.545 km NE of Calama, Chile · 17361 days ago · 118 km deep · 79 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000yjg. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 4:42 AM UTC.